Microsoft breaks Windows 10 again for Surface Book 2 users

Surface Book 2

Microsoft's latest Windows 10 update has broken Surface Book 2 devices, leaving them completely useless.

Windows 10 version 1803 was rolled out earlier this week and although it was supposed to iron out bugs, it actually caused more problems than it was designed to fix.

But for Microsoft Surface Book 2 users, it has resulted in a blue or black screen of death, meaning their devices won't even start up. The system message displayed on some of the affected devices is "system thread exception not handled".

But for those who tried to manually remove the update from their device, it's even worse news. "[...] for some reason removing the update bricked my surface. Now I can't even get into the OS. Just have blue screens. I will have to reinstall windows," one Surface Book 2 owner, Luis10e10, said on Reddit.

Microsoft has now stopped Surface Book 2 owners from downloading the update while it figures out what caused everything to go so wrong. It anticipates its fix will be ready to come out as part of the December 2018 security release.

A week after sending out the update, Microsoft acknowledged it had triggered some problems.

"After installing this optional update [KB 4467682, the second Win10 1803 cumulative update this month] some users may get a blue or black screen with error code, 'System thread exception not handled'," the company said.

"For customers who are currently experiencing this issue, please follow these instructions Troubleshoot blue screen errors and uninstall KB4467682."

Windows 10 updates have caused a swathe of problems of late, including a file-deleting bug, a problem that stopped Windows Media Player and iCloud working and malfunctioning audio.

Microsoft said it plans to overhaul the way its updates are delivered and although its cumulative updates aren't essential according to Microsoft, they are advised.

Clare Hopping
Freelance writer

Clare is the founder of Blue Cactus Digital, a digital marketing company that helps ethical and sustainability-focused businesses grow their customer base.

Prior to becoming a marketer, Clare was a journalist, working at a range of mobile device-focused outlets including Know Your Mobile before moving into freelance life.

As a freelance writer, she drew on her expertise in mobility to write features and guides for ITPro, as well as regularly writing news stories on a wide range of topics.